Seven Days: A young black woman makes a deal with a mob boss. (32 page)

"Thanks Greg," Victoria said, walking out of the office and closing the door.
"You sure Nic," Jimmy asked. "You know, there's no going back after this."
Nic nodded, "Yes, I'm sure."
"Well, I'm happy for you. I never thought I'd see this day. And over a woman at that," Jimmy smirked. 
Nic was finally setting his plans in motion. He couldn't delay it any further. He knew he was taking a huge gamble, but damn if she wasn't worth it. He loved her and he hoped what he was doing would truly show her exactly how he felt about her.
"So, just those we have deals with now, right? Anyone else will just eventually get the message, right?"
"Right."
"And you sure you want to give me what you did? I mean, I thank you, but it's too much Nic. I wouldn't feel right."
"It's yours. Tell Isabelle it's a small compensation for keeping you away all these years."
Jimmy smiled, as he pulled out his cell phone and began making the first of many calls. 
Nic walked back into his office, to find Reuben still busy making and printing documents. He never thought lawyers could be trustworthy, but over the years, Reuben had proven that he could be. But a slight sting hit Nic's nerves. He had thought Eddie trustworthy as well. Even more reason to continue with his plans. He still didn't have all the pieces in position, but if everything turned out like he envisioned it would...then he would be one happy man. A man who probably didn't deserve it, but that was between him and his maker.
Nic had already spoken with Jimmy and Raymond, only one left and that was Antonio. 
When Raymond brought Antonio into Nic's office, Antonio looked nervous as always. He quickly glanced back and forth between Nic and Reuben.
"Hi, Nic. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Antonio. Have a seat," Nic said, while he signed documents.
Antonio felt so anxious. He never wanted to say or do the wrong thing around Nic, which of course he always did. But at least Nic looked calm and relaxed. He wasn't sure who the guy was beside him, but he just hoped that the whacking had stopped with Eddie.
"Antonio, this is my lawyer, Reuben. He's present today to make sure everything goes smoothly," Nic stated, shuffling a group of papers.
"If this is about the other night, I feel like I should stop you, before we go any further. I really need to tell you--," Antonio started.
"Now...is not really the time to bring up anything from the other night," Nic warned, narrowing his eyes.
"I understand. But basically Nic, I just want to tell you that I don't think I'm the right guy that you're looking for. I mean, I thank you for the opportunity you have given me, and maybe in a few months when I'm back at Best Buy I'll be kicking my own ass, but I just can't do this anymore. And I know you called me in here today, but truthfully, I was going to ask to speak to you about all of this. I'm sorry if I've let you down in any way," Antonio finished. He had been practicing that speech all morning and made sure to look Nic directly in the face while delivering the news.
Nic leaned back in his chair. "You have done everything that I have asked you to do. I have no complaints."
Antonio exhaled. "Thank you, Nic."
"What is it that you want to do, Antonio?"
Antonio smiled. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. "I really, really want to own my own club. I mean, that would be the best. And who knows, maybe in time open up one on the west coast too. Those cool exclusive kind that only let in hot people and celebrities. I have so many plans for it." 
Jesus, this kid did remind him of his brother. Nic nodded, "I thought so. Sign this."
Antonio stared down at the document. "What's this?" he said, picking up the pen.
"It's a document that states I'm turning over fifty percent ownership of my club to you."
Antonio thought his eyes were going to pop out of the sockets. He couldn't have heard that right. There was no way. "Wait, I'm sorry Nic. What did you say?"
"I'm leaving, Antonio. For good. Jimmy is in the process of giving my clients alternative, trustworthy sources, so I'm out. And there's not really any going back at this point. I'm cutting all ties with the business and pretty soon this city as well. I called you in here today to let you know of my plans. I'm turning over ownership of both of my restaurants to Jimmy. And I spoke to Raymond. He doesn't really want full responsibility, so you two will be co-owners. He preferred to just stay on as head of security for my--well you and Raymond's club if you accept."
Antonio couldn't believe it. Him?! An owner of a club...which was like a dream come true. "Hell yes!! I mean, yes, of course. Are you sure? I mean, this is me we're talking about. You sure Raymond is cool with this?"
"If you haven't noticed, Raymond doesn't really like being around people...or talking to them, or dealing with them, so he's just fine as head of security, while you're in charge of operations. So yes, I'm sure. Don't fuck it up," Nic said.
"No, sir! Of course not. I just...oh, man. I can't believe this," Antonio said, running his hands through his hair. His momma is going to be so proud. Her boy, finally making it in the world.
"We've had our problems in the past, but you're a pretty good guy and you deserve it. Invest well and it will pay off big time. Reuben will have you sign all the documents."
Antonio stood up and leaned over the desk to shake Nic's hand. "Thank you so much, Nic. I can't even tell you how wonderful this is. I mean, shit, thank you. I swear I'll name my first born after you...even if it's a girl. Really, thank you."
"You're welcome, Bobby," Nic said, as he started looking over more documents.
Antonio wasn't sure who the hell Bobby was, but Nic looked extremely busy. So he hopped up and walked toward the door, but then turned around. "Hey Nic...where will you go? What will you do?"
Nic gave a small smile, but didn't answer.
"Honey, I'm home," she heard Nic say as he entered the condo. She jumped up from the couch and ran to give him a big kiss, knocking him back against the wall.
The past couple of days with Nic had been absolute bliss for Victoria. He still conducted private calls, but he had been spending almost every day with her. And they had come to a compromise with the Calamity's situation. She would continue to work there, but her hours had to be cut back and she had to move in with him. At first she protested, but he had said it was for her own safety, and with her hours cut back...she wouldn't have enough for rent anyway. Victoria soon realized that she had painted herself into a corner. Sometimes she would forget exactly how smart and manipulative her man could be. 

So, the few belongings that she actually owned were neatly packed away in his condo. She had wondered why he didn't want her to move into his house, but he said he had his reasons. At first, it stung...but she had to trust that his reasons weren't anything to do with him not thinking highly of her. She trusted him. And since he practically lived there with her, it helped to ease the sting. 
"If I get to come home to this every night, then I'm sold," Nic mumbled in between her kisses.
"I'm sorry, I just missed you," Victoria said.
"Missed me? I've only been gone for a few hours."
"You've been gone since eight this morning, and it's now six."
Nic stared at her, before a slow smile crept across his face. She was crazy about him, that's for sure. And he loved it. At least he wasn't in this alone.
Victoria's eyes widened, "I mean...well, it seemed like a really long time." She tried to back track realizing how insane she probably sounded. But she had missed him.
"I love you too, baby," he said, patting her on the ass as he walked into the kitchen and sat a bag on the counter. "Don't peek in there."
Victoria was curious, but she didn't want to ruin his surprise.
When he emerged from the back room, he was in his navy blue workout pants and a soft looking dark gray shirt. His hair was wet and slicked back, and he looked absolutely adorable.
"Do me a favor. Go sit out on the terrace and look sexy," he said.
Victoria was wondering what the hell was going on, but she said nothing. Instead she walked out onto the terrace and sat down at the table. It was a warm night, so she only had on a pair of short cotton shorts and a white tank top. She wasn't wearing a bra, but she figured he would appreciate that. She stared out at the sky. The stars looked as though they had been spray painted onto a black canvas. 
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she heard him say from behind her. She turned and he was staring at her. He had a fancy plate in one hand, two champagne bottles in the other hand and a champagne bottle underneath his arm.
Nic sat the tray of chocolate covered strawberries on the table, and then quickly poured a glass of champagne for both of them.
"Nic, this looks...amazing, what's going on?"
"We're celebrating," he said, handing her a glass.
"Celebrating what?"
Nic sat down and took a sip. "New beginnings." He picked up a chocolate covered strawberry and brought it to her lips. She stared right at him and took a seductive bite, and then closed her eyes and whimpered. 
"That's good," she said, opening her eyes. 
The woman can bite a strawberry and send blood pumping through his dick, Nic thought. He leaned over to kiss and lick her lips, tasting chocolate and champagne. "Very good," Nic said, licking his own lips.
"So, what new beginnings are we celebrating, Mr. Andretti?" she asked.
Nic leaned back in his chair. "A beautiful virtuous woman once told an unmoving arrogant prick that there is always a place for decency and at the end of the day, money isn't everything and it never was. Well this prick finally listened. I'm out, baby."
Victoria continued to stare at Nic. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"I'm out of this business. For good. Nothing else illegal."
"What?" Victoria whispered. "You're—you're..." She couldn't even finish the sentence. "Oh my God!" she screamed as she hopped up and straddled his lap.
"I'm so happy! Are you serious?" Victoria kept asking him over and over, in between kisses. 
"I'm serious, baby," Nic said, as he gently pulled her back to look into her eyes. Beautiful brown pools that were quickly watering up. God, he loved her so much, and now it was time to show her exactly how much.
"I love you and I have one more thing to tell you," Nic said, lifting her up from his lap.
Victoria quickly wiped her eyes. There was nothing else he could possibly tell her that could match the feeling of elation that she felt at the moment. She sat back down in her chair and waited for the other news.
Nic stood up and pulled something from behind his back. It was a book. When he handed it to her, she knew exactly which one. Her book of 100 Greatest Love Poems. 
He walked around behind her and kissed the top of her head. "I added something else to it...it's at the bottom of the other poem I wrote in the back," he whispered in her ear.
Victoria smiled and opened the book to the last page. She quickly skimmed over the beautiful Italian cursive of the first poem he recited for her. But when she reached the bottom, she only saw a few words scribbled on the page. She leaned closer to read them: 'I Love You. Turn Around, Beautiful'. 
Victoria crinkled her brow as she turned around. "Nic, it just says--," she started, then froze. Her hand went to her mouth in utter shock. She came face to face with Nic kneeling behind her, with a familiar looking blue box tied with a white ribbon, in his hand.
"Victoria?"
"Yes," she quickly replied.
Nic raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Is that a yes because I said your name, or yes because you know what I'm about to ask?"
"Both," Victoria whispered, visibly shaking at this point.
"Marry me?"
"Yes! Absolutely," she shrieked, as she leaned over to kiss him. Her legs were complete jello as she slid over top of him, straddling his knee. She couldn't even breathe, but she knew it was a combination of shock and joy, which she could possibly die from.
Who would have even thought this possible? The first time they had met, she had been scared to death. And when he had walked briskly into the his office and sat down in front of her, he was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen. Next to his actor friend, Mr. Big Time, who she had crushed on for years in various films—a fact that she still hadn't told Nic. 
But it had been Nic's eyes during their first meeting that caused her to shiver. They looked so cold and empty. But to look into them now, instead of a blue glacier storm, they resembled something more peaceful. Like a cool, calm crystal lake. She felt as though she could stare into them forever.
He pulled the bow off of the light blue box and opened it. The most jaw-dropping, gorgeous diamond ring was staring back at her. He slid it onto her finger and kissed her again. She was almost afraid to close her eyes for fear that she'd lose the small platinum trinket, which she was sure cost more than her car.
"Do you like, baby?" Nic asked.
She didn't know what else to say. At this moment, words were so underrated. There wasn't even a phrase she could utter to explain the feelings she felt. Nothing. So instead of trying to inarticulately tell him that she loved him, she pressed her lips to his mouth and kissed him deeply.
As their lips continued to lock, Victoria thought about everything that had happened. She was engaged? To Nic Andretti? Life...could be full of impossible, yet incredible surprises.
The next day, Victoria couldn't stop smiling, even as they cuddled on the sofa watching some mystery romance movie on Lifetime. She was practically in his lap with her head leaning back against his solid chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, while her fingers mindlessly stroked the top of them, loving the feel of the smooth delicate hair that lightly covered his masculine limbs.
Every few seconds, she would stare down at her diamond ring. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever owned, and definitely the most expensive. She had debated on asking him how much it cost, which was tacky, but she couldn't help it. But she decided against it, telling herself that it would make her even more self-conscious than she already was.
Telling Marianna earlier that morning had been fun. She screamed through the phone into Victoria's ear, almost causing a slight ringing, and then proceeded to babble on about babies this and babies that. Jimmy and Isabelle had called her together on speaker phone to congratulate her on "slaying the beast". They were so cute and funny over the phone. They finished each other's sentences...and when Jimmy said something Isabelle didn't agree with, she would argue back with him, and eventually he'd just laugh and say she was right.
When she called to tell Antonio, she could tell he was in complete shock. The last news he had heard was that she had broken up with Nic. Victoria could also tell there was just a hint of disappointment in his voice, but he still congratulated her and wished them the best. He told her about the new things he has lined up for the club and how grateful he was to Nic. He already moved his mom out of the place she was in, and into a small house with a washer and dryer. That's all his mom cared about, and he joked that she probably slept in the laundry room the first night.
"I know who did it," Nic whispered to her, bringing her thoughts back to the movie.
"No way! We've only been watching it for fifteen minutes. You can't already know who the killer is. I doubt we've even seen everyone."
"Trust me, I know."
Victoria turned her head toward him to give him a kiss when her cell phone started ringing. She leaned over the table and plucked if from her purse. The screen read private, but she was pretty sure she knew who it was.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Victoria. It's Paul," he said.
"Hi, how are you?"
Nic could hear that it was a man's voice on the other end. He hated this new feeling of jealousy that was overcoming him. Actually, it wasn't new. He had felt it the second day they were together, when Sonny had wanted to bet her for a night. That slight tinge from the green-eyed monster had reared its head even then. But Nic knew for a fact that Victoria didn't really hang around other women, so he wondered who this guy was. His mother, Jimmy and Antonio were the only people he knew that had that number, and they...never mind, he knew exactly who it was. Paul Marconi. He also had her number, since he had called her while she was staying with his mother.
"I'm fine, now that I know you're safe," Paul said.
"Oh, thank you," Victoria said, before Nic snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed speaker. She twisted around to grab it back from him when he put a finger to his mouth. Victoria sighed.
"I would have liked to have called much sooner, but under the circumstances, I felt it was best to keep away. I hope you understand."
"Oh, of course. Even you just calling now means a lot."
Silence.
"So is everything okay now? I'm assuming that the guys responsible were handled?" Paul asked.
"Um," Victoria said, as she watched Nic shake his head. "Um, I don't really know about all of that stuff, Paul. They don't tell me those things." Victoria hated lying to Paul. She knew for a fact that the three guys who had kidnapped her were dead. She saw that with her own two eyes. But for whatever reason, Nic didn't want Paul to know about any of that.
"Of course. And that's probably the best thing. I'm just glad you're back home and safe."
"Thank you. So am I. How's Sonny? I know you were worried about him."
"Sonny, well, he's Sonny. He's fine. He actually spent the past few weeks vacationing with some girl in Amsterdam. But he refused to tell me until last night because he knew I would have disapproved."
Victoria looked at Nic when he pinched her arm. He mouthed, 'Ask if he's still there?' Victoria narrowed her eyes at him mouthed back 'No.'
"Well, that sounds like Sonny. I'm sure he had fun though."
"Yes, but it was irresponsible. Especially with everything that was going on," Paul said, then he chuckled. "You know, I used to think that because Nic and Sonny grew up together, that maybe some of Nic's more honorable characteristics would rub off on my son. But over the years, they became more enemies than friends."
"Well, all of it is silly to me, and perhaps both of them should grow up," Victoria said, looking at Nic and sticking her tongue out.
"That's exactly what my wife would have said," Paul laughed, then sighed. "Well I'll let you go. But I just wanted to make sure that you were safe. And if you ever need anything, you know you can come to me."
"Thank you, Paul. And likewise. Good bye," Victoria said, then clicked the cell phone shut.
"If you ever need anything?" Nic repeated, glaring at her. "What, is he supposed to be your genie in a bottle now?"
Victoria could tell by the clipped tone Nic was using, that he was pissed.
"That's not what he meant. It's just he knows for a while I was having a hard time. And he doesn't know that you and I are together. He was just trying to be nice."
"Nice, huh?" Nic said as he scratched his slight five o'clock shadow. "How nice?"
"Don't even go there. You weren't there when he just handed me seventy thousand dollars, knowing it was going to his competition and that he would probably never get it back, but he did it anyway. And he didn't want anything in return."
Nic turned away from her as his face burned with shame. Was she throwing their past relationship back in his face? "You mean like I did," Nic said, moving away from her and standing up to stretch.
"No, that's not what I meant. I wasn't comparing you two. There's no comparison. I look at Paul more like...like a father figure. And you...well, I definitely don't see you as my father," Victoria laughed, but then quieted and cleared her throat when she noticed that Nic wasn't cracking a smile.
She stood up, walked over to him and placed her arms around his waist. "I don't need anything from Paul, Nic. He's just a really nice older man who holds you in very high regard, you know."
Nic knew that she was right, but he still couldn't help feeling possessive over her.
"Well, just know from now on if you need something, you come to me, capisce?"